Apparatus for manufacturing and mixing gases.



No. 833.137. PATENTED OCT. 9, 1906. B. LOOMIS & H. PETTIBONE. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING AND MIXING GASES.

APPLICATION FILED 13110.7, 1903. RENEWED MAR. 14, 1906.

2 SHEETSSHEBT 1 No. 833.137. PATENTED OCT. 9. 1906.

A B. 'LOOMIS & H. PETTIBONE. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING AND MIXING GASES.

APPLICATION FILED one. 7, 1903. RENEWED MAR. 14, 1906. I

z SHEETS-SHEET 2 UNI-TED STATES PATENT oF ron."

BURDET" LOOMIS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, AND HAWLEY PETTI- BONE, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK, ASSTGNORS TO LOOMIS- PETTIBONE GAS MACHINERY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY. I p g Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1906.

" Application file. December 7, 1903. Renewed March 14, 1906. Serial No. 806,014.'

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that we, BUnpE'r'rLooms, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, and HAwLEY PET- TIBOXE, residing at New Rochelle, in the county of Westchesterand State-of New York, citizens of the United'St-ates, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Apparatus for Manufacturing and Mixing Qrases,v of which the following is a specificatlon.

This invention relates to apparatus for making and delivering gas of any desired calorific value or the desired proportion of heat units adapted for'heatiug purposes and for motive power in high-power gas-engines.-

The object of our invention is to provide for'generating producer-gas and water-gas, drawing them oil from the generator by an exhauster, and during the manufacture and the operation of the exhauster mixing the two kinds of gas in any desired proportion for giving the most effective and economical results as a motive power in explosion-engines of several hundredhorse-power or as a fuel in metallurgical operations.

In the usual method of making producergas airand steam are together forced up through a body of incandescent fuel, generating a mixed gas ofvariable quality. It is difficult with the varying output of gas from .a gas-producer to maintain the proper and uniform proportions of air and steam admitted to the fuel or decomposed therein. also difficult to decompose all of the steam into hydrogen and carbon monoxid. 'hen the roportions of air and steam change, the quality of the gas varies both in its .component parts and in calorific value or power. By passing air and steam alternately through a body of incandescent fuel in a cupola-generator each kind of gas-producer and water gas-is made of uniform quality, and by mix- 1 ing these gases in fixed proportions the product is a more constant. and uniform quality i I of gas well. adapted for o crating high-power gasengines. \Ve have t lerefore devised apparatus particularly adapted for making and delivering such a mixed gas to a holder or directly to the place ofuse.

The matter constituting our invention will be defined 1n the claims.

Our gas generating and mixing a paratus is illustrated in the accompanying rawings, in which Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the .a paratus. Fig. 2 represents a rear elevatron of the connected generators and steamboiler with one generator in section. 4' Fig. 3 represents a top plan view of the apparatus.

The generators A and B are constructed of brick inclosed in iron jackets in the usual manner and are rovided with grates b, preferably (3OIl1pOS6(f Of brick arches, and with ash-pits X. The generators are connected at the top by a pipe or flue O and are connected at the base or ashits X by gas-outlet pipes D D, having va ves cl (1, with the baseof the tubular steam-boiler E having at top and bottom the gas-chambers e e. A gas-outlet pipe F, having a valve f, connects with the upper gas-chamber e and with the base of the scrubber G, and a gas-outlet i e H, having a valve 72, leads from the top of tlie scrubber down to the main gas-exh auster K. The main gas-take-off pipe L leads from the under side of theexhauster and conne'ctsxby holder 0 for producer-gas or for a mixture of producer-gas and water-gas.

which is coupled directly to the shaft of the exhauster. The opposite end of the shaft 6 is provided with a cone-pulley g, which connects by a belt 0 with a cone-pulley g on the shaft of the auxiliary exhauster R. A branch pipe having a valve Z connects pipe L with the purge-stack M for the escape of waste gases or products of combustion. branch pipe X, having a valve it, leads from the pipe L into holder P for water-gas. The pipe T, having a valve t, leads from the i holder P and. connects with the top of the isi'nall exhanstcrR. The discharge-pi e T from exhauster R is provided with a va ve t and connects with pipe L beyond its valve Z for supplying a definite proportion of water'- gas and mixing it with the producer-gas i which is being passed through pipe L into i the holder O. A circnlating-pipe 1'. having a valve 1-, connects the outlet pipe T with the inlet-pipe 'l of the exhauster R. A circulati ing and by-pass pipe It connects the outlet- 1' pipe L with the inlet-pipe ll of the exhauster the branch pipe L, having a valve Z, with the The exhauster, k 18 driven by the engine I, having a shaft t,

K andis provided with'the valve 70'. Steamsupply pipes S and S connect by branch pipes s and .5, each having a valve, with the top and bottom of each of the generators A and B for supplying steam to be passed either up or down through the bodies of incandescentfuel in making water-gas. A gasoutlet pipe Q, having a valve leads from holder 0 for taking mixed pro ucer-gas and water-gas to a gas-engine or other place of use.

The operation of making and mixing producer-gas and. water-gas may be conducted as follows: Fires are kindled on the grates in enerators A and B and at first allowed to burn by natural draft while fuel is gradually fed in and: ignited. The valves Z and n beclosed and the stack-valve l and other 111 vfives between the stack and generators being open and the lids at wholly or partly open,

the exhauster'K is operated to draw air down intothe bodies of ignited fuel and the resulting gas off from'the bases of the generators through boiler E' and scrubber G and discharge .it up the stack M. As soon as good producer gas is generated the stack-valve l isclosed and valve 1 opened, and the producer-gas is discharged into the holder 0. The stack-valve l is only open while the bodies of fuel are being heated to the proper condition for making gas. Deep bodies of fuel in generators A and B' having been heated to incandescence, water-gas may be made,

' and for this purpose the top lids :c are closed,

valve d closed, valve Z closed, valve n opened, and steam-valve 8 opened, admitting steam into the asb-pit of generator A. Steam passes up into the body of incandes cent fuel in generator A, where it is decomposed, and the resulting water-gas passes through top .pipe G into' generator B and thence down through the body of incandescent fuel therein, where any accompanying vapors are decomposed and carbonic acid converted into carbon monoxid, making a well-fixed. high-grade water-gas. This gas is drawn off by the exhauster through pipe D, boiler E, and scrubber G and discharged into the watergas holder P. VVater-gas is thus made until the temperature of the fuel is reduced too low for effectively decomposing steam, and then the steam is shut off, the top lidsa; opened, valve d opened, valve n closed,

and valve Z opened and producer-gas again made and delivered into the holder 0. When 1t'1s again desired to make water-gas, we pref- -erably close valve (1 in as-outlet pipe D and admit steam into the ase of generator B. Steam is. ,then decomposed by a passage up through the incandescent fuel in generator B and the resulting gas-down through the bed of fuel in generator A, and the resulting water-gas is drawn off by the exhauster through pipe D the steam-boiler, and scrubber and discharged into holder P. When itis thought desirable, steam may be admitted th ough the valves s into the topof the generators A and B and passed down through the beds of fuel, together with air admitted by opening lids x, thus making an nriched producergasthat.is, a mixture of water-gas and producer-gas. It has been found of great advantage to make occasional runs of water-gas in downdraft asgenerators by passing steam alternate y up through one body of fuel and the resulting gas down through the other body of fuel, as above described. These runs keep the fires in better condition, and the mixed gas resulting from mixing producer-gas and water-gasin definiteproportions is more uniform in quality than it is possible to make by the continuous producer-gas system. A fixed clean uniform quality of gas of fairly high flame temperature can be delivered at anydesired pressure from the above-described apparatus, and itcan be made from bituminous coal, anthracite co'al, coke, or wood without any change being made in the apparatus. Asufficient quantity of water-gas having been stored in the holder P, the auxiliary ex'hauster R is used to deliver a fixed proportion of water-gas with producer-gas into the holder 0 for mixed gas. The exhauster R and the valves r" and t are operated as follows: When the exhauster K is operating and delivering producer-gas throu h valve 1, the valves t and t are open and. t eby-pass valve 1" closed, and the exhauster R will operate to draw water-gas from the holder P and deliver it through plpe T into the holder 0 at a rate proportional to the delivery of producer-gas by the exhauster K. By. shifting the belt 0 on the cone-pulleys g and g the proportion of water-gas to producer-gas can be increased or decreased.- The mixture of water-gas and producer gas in definite and any. desired proportions can thus be stored in the holder 0 and delivered to gas-engines or other places of-use When water-gas is being delivered through valve n to the holder P, valve t is closed and the bypass valve r is opened, so that no water-gas passes into the mixed-gas holder 0 except when producer gas is also being delivered into said holder 0. In case it should be desired to close valve h in the gas-pipe H while the exhauster K is running the valve k in the by-pass pipe is may be opened, so that gas will simply be circulated through the pipes holder and means, connecting withboth ho ders, for supplying a definite proportionof. gas 1 from one holder to the other, whereby producer-gas and water-gas may be mixed in the desired proportion for supplying gas-engines.

2. The combination with a cupola gas-gen .erator, adapted for making producer gas and water-gas, of a connecting-exhauster for drawing off both kinds of gas, two storage gas-holders, a pipe leading from the exhauster and connecting by branch pipes, each having a valve, with said holders and means connecting with the holders for passing a desired proportionjof gas from one holder to the other for making a suitable mixture of producer-gas and water-gas for operating gas-engines 3. The combination with a cupola-g as-generator, adapted for making producer-gas and water-gas, of a connecting-exhauster, two gas-holders, pipes having valves connecting the outlet of the exhauster with'said holders, an auxiliary gas-exhauster connecting by valved pipes with both holders, and operating gearing connecting both of saidexhausters,---sub stantially as described.

t. The combination with a cupola gas-generator' having means for supplying air and steam, of a connecting-exhanster K, two gasholders Q and P, valved pipes L andN con necting .with said ,exhauster and holders, the

auxiliary exhauster R connecting by valved pipes with both of the holders and o cratinggearing connecting both of said eX a'usters, substantially as described.

5'. The combination with a cupola gas-generator adapted for making produceras. and water-gas, of a cbnnecting-e'xhauster having a cone-pulley on its shaft, two gas-holders, valved ipes connecting said exhauster with the hol ders, the auxilia e'xhauster R, having a cone-pulls I on its is aft, a belt on the cone-pulleys 0 both exhausters, and valved pipes. connecting exhauster R with both of the holders. substantially as described.

6. Gas generating and mixing apparatus comprising two cupola generators connecting at the top and having air-inlets at the top, a

steam-supply pipe and a valved gas-outlet pipe connecting with the base of each genen ator, an exhauster connecting with said outlet-pipes for drawing ofl producer-gas and water-gas, two storage-holders, valved pipes connecting the exhanster with both of the holders, a separate valved pipe connecting the holders and-means connect with said pipe for drawing gas from one older and supplying it 'to the other holder for making a mixture of producer-gas and water-gas for operating gas-engines and other purposes.

In' testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' BURDETT LOOMIS.

.HAWLEY PETTIBONE. Witnesses:

.RoBER'r R. LIVINGSTON, JOHN P.,QUmK. 

